WELL, well! The famous Murphy Bed, which has been lauded in poem, song and movie, finally has been adapted for infant use; though we’ll admit the babe at the left seems to be old enough to know better. The idea is that this crib can be hidden away when your offspring isn’t in it—which, if you know your Murphy Beds, is the time to fold it away. When folded up, the crib looks like an ordinary closet or bookcase, and takes no extra room.

Behind its attractive doors, this compact unit provides storage space and shelves for game and bar essentials.

By Stephen Kirchner

IF you entertain groups who like cards and other games, or if you enjoy sociable refreshments with your family or friends, the unit pictured here will be a welcome addition to your living room, den or play room. It is simple to construct and provides ample storage space. The gleaming Conolite surfaces are beautiful, durable and easy to keep clean.

HERE is another novelty article which will be appreciated by the home craftsmen who like to work with such projects; it is simple enough in construction to be classed as a “one-evening” job. The two high – backed black cats support between them a round-topped foot rest, which is covered with cloth upholstering.

HERBERT WOOD, a former Pennsylvania contractor who went to Arizona to retire, began making furniture and knick-knacks out of the abundant native cactus purely as a hobby. But he soon found himself in possession of a prosperous business, selling his unusual and distinctive articles to tourists. He makes everything from ash trays to dining room sets.

DETERMINED to eliminate all guesswork, radio manufacturers recently conducted an intensive survey to determine exactly which cabinet designs and mechanical features most appealed to prospective radio
buyers.

Trained investigators recorded thousands of preferences in cities large and small from coast to coast. Out of this mass of statistical data, radio engineers were able, for the first time, to tabulate the likes and dislikes of the American radio audience. The immediate result was a radical change in cabinet design, harmonizing with all styles and periods of furniture. In keeping with the outward refinements, engineers designed new tubes, perfected remote control devices, eliminated aerials, built new speakers and made short wave reception possible in every home.

Partition Gives Submarine Effect
Spectators receive the illusion of looking directly into a group of small, beautiful submarine gardens when they view the collection of rare tropical fish owned by Fred Joerger, Hollywood motion-picture artist. All the glass tanks that hold the fish are concealed behind a partition of shaggy redwood bark and are viewed through irregular ports cut through the bark.

The “first lady” of New York State, Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt, wife of the Governor, runs a furniture factory of her own, when she is not busy presiding as hostess at official parties. Unlike many hobbies, this one of Mrs. Roosevelt’s is said to be a paying business. The factory, an attractive three-story frame structure, is hidden behind trees and shrubbery on Mrs. Roosevelt’s Hyde Park, N. Y., estate. Here a corps of competent craftsmen execute designs under Mrs. Roosevelt’s supervision. Her home is furnished with some of the products of the factory, and others find a ready public market. Mrs. Roosevelt visits the factory when possible.

Pity the industrial designer. He must be one dream in front of his competitor, but if he dreams too far ahead, the customers stay away in droves

By John R. Kinsey

LOOK around your home.

Study the appearance of your radio, refrigerator, bathroom scale or even that tube of toothpaste in the medicine cabinet.

Maybe they look O.K. to you, but not to an army of engineers, research experts, artists, sculptors, draftsmen and model makers who are busy right now figuring out ways to make those productsâ€”and thousands of other thingsâ€” look better, work better and sell better.

Have trouble concentrating on your studies? Try the German Learning Egg. Shut yourself inside and absorb information from tape recordings, color slides, even an old-fashioned book or two. Six minutes inside turns you into a hard-boiled expert.